The Pet Shop
by Gwen Zenier
Summary: What happens when a squib from the Black family wants revenge for being cast out? What happens when he begins making the muggle world more "magical"? And more importantly, how will the muggles and wizards react once he begins taking over both worlds?


What happens when a squib from the Black family wants revenge for being cast out? What happens when he begins making the muggle world more "magical"? And more importantly, how will the muggles and wizards react once he begins taking over both worlds?

The Pet Shop

Prologue

A man of forty-five years occupied the television screen of 34 Storytell Road. Said living room was dark and still, as if all have vanished from its consuming embrace. The outside doorknob twitched several times, before opening to reveal a young seventeen-year-old girl at the doorway. She was short statured-only reaching around five feet- and possessed dirty blonde locks of scraggly hair, more like a mane every day. Today, her hair was pulled up into a high, sharp ponytail which emphasized her bright and judging blue eyes. She peered around the corner and flipped on the light. The young girl sighed. Page left the TV on again. Stupid woman. The blonde kicked of her dirty cleats and glided toward the television, fully intent on shutting the technological monstrosity off. Her intensions however, were thwarted when she recognized the man on the other side of the screen. The teen hesitated and retracted her hand, walking backwards toward the couch to sit down and listen.

"I have to thank all those who supported my group and I during this trying time. I hope that we can make America great again with or biological advancements. Without our supporters, we would have never been able to substitute war dogs for hybrids, never mind distribute them as lifelong familiars for the common populace."

He addressed the Public. "Each familiar is individually created, and must be ordered in advance to make sure that the hybrid's mixed genes are combatable with the newfound owner's personality. We then establish a mind link between the hybrid and owner so that they may communicate not through language, but through feeling and instinct. In many ways, hybrid and Owner become one. But do not be frightened: Your personality or soul will not change or alter in any way, for hybrids lack will. They would do anything for their owner; even starve themselves to death. But do not mistake the public-approved hybrids for machines, for they are far from that. They too, have a soul-"

Rachel Jay turned off the channel abruptly. Despite what the famous scientist said, the way he spoke of companions implied that they were no better than machines-no, even worse. He implied that they were slaves to the owner's selfish desires. The scientist seemed to be torn between destroying his abnormality or promoting his design. It was disgusting. The blond-haired seventeen-year-old turned to her familiar and sighed, running her slender fingers through Stitch's mane. Her familiar was a cross between a lion, a deer, and a dog. He was ferocious, quick, and loyal to a fault. Rachel smiled just thinking about him. Stitch had been her companion for two years now, having bought him when the Advancement War with Japan fell to a close. Rachel could not have gotten him without her brother though, who was a war survivor- no, a hero. After all, the hybrids were first introduced for the purpose of replacing war dogs and more. Matt's companion was Aztec, a beautiful yet deadly specimen with liquid gold eyes and claws of sharpened obsidian glass. She had a beak of iron and a heart of stone. Since the war, the scientists began distributing the hybrids to the public, albeit safer combinations for public possession. Everybody seemed to have them now.

Rachel stood up in a fluid motion and headed off toward the kitchen, Stitch hot on her heels. Her hands brushed over the countertop opening up the fridge to search for her long-awaited putting. It was gone. Damn Page. But Rachel wouldn't hold this theft against the lady though. She would feel especially cruel to do so since She helps so much with Matt's blatant signs of PTSD. Despite being over thirty years old and having a wife, Matt had yet to leave the house since the end of the war. His mental health has been deteriorating ever since that fateful day he had come home, and Aztec was just as affected due to their mindlink. With Aztec being a war hybrid, this deterioration was dangerous. Rachel wasn't concerned about her brother becoming a 'Casualty' per say; that in itself was just laughable. Her brother was stronger than any man she had ever met after all. And Besides-Page, his lovely wife, had come to see him today and being the absentminded space-cadet the woman was, ate her long-awaited pudding. Rachel wanted to bang that lady's face against the wall. No matter.

She grabbed a few celery sticks instead, tossing Stitch one. She flipped open her iPhone and began reading the next chapter to her book. The moment was delightful. Meanwhile, Stitch laid down next to her, absentmindedly licking his right paw. It was heaven.

Too bad it ended just as abruptly.

Stitch's head snapped up as if shocked by a Taser, and emitted a threatening growl. That never happened…

"Stitch?" A feeling of foreboding settled between them and she felt Stitch's sudden surge to protect her. That…couldn't be good. "Matt? Page?" Rachel began heading up the stairs, but Stich jumped in front of her, apparently intent on not letting her pass. She stopped. "Matt!" No answer. "Stich! Move! Move!" As she began to get increasingly panicked, Stitch's will seemed to crumble and backed down. And suddenly she was half way up the stairs suffering from a sudden sanity-splitting headache. But it didn't matter: she needed to see Matt.

When Rachel opened up her brother's door, she froze to the spot in disbelief and despair, madly wishing for a time-turner. Her next call for her brother was hesitant, bordered on breaking. "Matt?" A grunt. He was foaming at the mouth; his body twitching in grotesque ways.

He was a Casualty. Her brother was a Casualty.

How could she have not seen it happen? How could she have let him deteriorate so much? How could she have let him suffer? How could she let him die? Like every teenager in her generation, she heard of Casualties. They were told as nightmare stories from their mothers and fathers and as warnings from authority. But she never believed it to be true; none of her generation did-not even Tom! Casualties were people who were mentally unstable. If one of these people obtain a familiar, this lack of stability travels through the link and affects the hybrid. The hybrid goes insane. The owner dies. But those were just stories… or so she had been told. Did that also mean that Double Breed Disease actually existed? Rachel involuntarily grasped for her non-existent familiar. He wasn't there.

Rachel scrambled out of the room, practically tripping over her feet. Her brother was a casualty, and he was dying… That's when she saw it. Or rather her… Page. Dead. Dismembered. Her chewed pieces littering the floor. Rachel fought her bile, almost falling down the stairs. Page was gone. Page was gone and she had heard nothing. Did the lady even know what hit her? Rachel looked around to place Aztec, the now insane war hybrid. She couldn't find her. Gecko scales... She ran down the stairs and grabbed Stitch's mane. She needed to calm down, but how could she when Aztec went Rogue? The teen, shaking, grasped her head in a desperate attempt of assessing the situation. Rachel and Stitch didn't even see her coming before it was far too late. And then- and then she was gone. Before she even knew what hit her.


End file.
